Why President Buhari Cancelled Proposed Cross-River Trip

The visit by the Nigerian president was meant for the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 260km superhighway, but had to cancel the trip because the state was not ready for it yet.

Confirming the cancellation on Thursday was Christian Ita, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, who informed that the decision to postpone the ceremony was communicated to the governor in a letter signed by Abba Kyari, the president’s Chief of Staff.

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The statement as obtained by Premium Times, read: “The presidency attributed the shift to a letter written to the president by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nana Fatima Mede.

“She claimed that the proposed highway, if allowed to go on, would cut through the Cross River National Park.

“The letter claimed that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the proposed road was yet to be carried out.”

Ita however, noted that the proposed road would not traverse the Cross River National Park, since the highway would be several kilometres away from the national park.

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According to him: “Based on the input of the Cross River National Park, the road has since been re-routed with the alignment now several kilometers away from the park.

“As a governor who is passionate about the preservation of the state’s biodiversity with his establishment of the Green Police, he would not embark on a project that would undermine the environment.”

Ita therefore informed that the governor would work closely with the presidency to clear areas of doubt, and that a new date for the ceremony would be made public when they are ready.

The Nigerian president, who had only recently returned from France on a three-day visit, has asked Nigerians for calm as he has promised to ensure his kitchen cabinet members are made public before the end of September.

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